Even A Guardian Can Be A Father Figure
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Sequel to "The Bonds Of Friendship And Understanding" and "Under All That Tough Armor Is A Good Friend". When Jamie lets it slip that he thinks of Heatwave as his dad and is embarrassed by it, it's up to the Rescue Bot leader to prove to Jamie just how much the boy means to him. Rated for a question about abuse. Done as a request, so please, no flames. Family fluff inside!


**A story requested by pokemonsora01. Here you go, Amigo! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Jamie belongs to pokemonsora01, Transformers Rescue Bots and its characters belong to Hasbro, and I only own Rachel and her uncle Joseph. **

**A/N: This is the sequel story to "The Bonds of Friendship And Understanding" and "Under All That Tough Armor Is A Good Friend". If you haven't read those yet, I suggest you read them first before reading this one. :)**

* * *

**Even A Guardian Can Be A Father Figure**

Rachel looked at her calendar on her phone and shook her head. "Wow, I can't believe it's been one whole year now that we've known you guys," she said to Blades and Boulder. "It doesn't seem like that long."

"Well, they say time flies when you're having fun," said Boulder.

"And we've definitely have had fun with you, the Burns family, and Jamie," said Blades honestly.

Rachel hugged the helicopter bot and the construction bot happily. "I've had fun too," she said. "And I can tell Jamie has too."

"Speaking of them, where are they?" asked Cody, who had just come in to hear Rachel's statement.

A familiar fire engine sounded right then. "There they are," said Rachel. "Now, we can all hang out."

It was one of those days were thankfully there had been no emergencies, so the bots were relaxing. Even Chase was relaxing, which was a first for him, considering he was usually the one always alert for a mission, but even he had to admit it was nice to have a quiet day for a change.

Jamie was sitting beside Heatwave and suddenly laughed. "You know, Heatwave, it took us a while to get here and you're a fire truck," he said.

Heatwave cocked an eyebrow at the boy. "Are you saying I'm slow?" he asked, the smirk on his face showing the others that he didn't take offense and had the perfect tactic in mind to get Jamie back.

"Sure seemed like it," said the boy with another laugh and suddenly yelped when the fire Rescue Bot scooped him up in his large hands playfully and large fingers began gently tickling him.

"I'm slow, hmm?" Heatwave asked again, smirking as he watched Jamie try to squirm away, but couldn't as the Autobot's gentle fingers tickled his stomach and sides. Rachel, Cody, Boulder, Chase, and Blades just watched and smiled at the cute moment, knowing it was rare for Heatwave to show a softer side, but they all knew he had a huge soft spot of Jamie and how close the boy and their leader were and moments like this made them smile and enjoy the playfulness between the two.

"Ahahahahahahahahaha!" Jamie laughed as he tried to escape Heatwave's hands. "Knock it off, Dad!" he giggled out.

A stunned silence filled the firehouse as everyone froze in shock of what they had just heard. Even Heatwave stopped the tickle attack in shock of what Jamie had just called him.

Realizing what he had just called his best friend, Jamie immediately grew embarrassed and nervous, quickly jumping out of Heatwave's hands and running away in panic, feeling hot tears of embarrassment fall from his eyes and fall down his face. No one, not even Heatwave, went after him as they were still frozen in shock.

* * *

It had taken several moments for everyone to unfreeze, but now the four Rescue Bots watched Rachel frantically pace the firehouse floor as she tried calling Jamie again on his cellphone, but there was no answer. "He's not picking up," she said, her worry showing in her face and her voice. "What if he's hurt?"

"I'm sure Jamie would have immediately alerted us if he was hurt, Rachel," said Boulder comfortingly. "I guess he's still a bit embarrassed by what happened earlier."

"That's what I'm puzzled about," said Heatwave. "Why did Jamie call me his dad?"

It was quiet for a moment before Rachel sighed. "Well, I guess you would have found out anyway," she said. "Guys, Jamie's dad, my uncle,…well, he isn't exactly the greatest father on the planet."

That made the Rescue Bots look alarmed. "Jamie's father isn't abusive, is he?" asked Blades worriedly.

"No! No, nothing like that!" Rachel said hurriedly to reassure them. "He's not abusive or anything like that. He's just…not really ever there for Jamie, ever since his fishing business grew and he's the president of his fishing and cannery company. So, he's really busy, like every day. He's not there to comfort his own son after a rough day or cheer him at a soccer game."

She paused and looked down for a moment. "When Jamie first came to Griffin Rock, I knew it would be a hard transition for him because he didn't know how to fit in and he didn't have any friends. He didn't want to make friends and then see them leave or leave and never see them again because it was too painful. Therefore, when Jamie became good friends with you guys and Cody, I was really surprised and then watching Heatwave coax him out his shell was another surprise to me," she said. "Jamie's happier than I've seen him in a very long time."

"Rachel, I was curious. What happened to Jamie's mother?" asked Chase.

The Rescue Bots saw Rachel's shoulders drop as she looked down and took a deep breath. "She died from leukemia when he was little," she said. "They found it too late. Thankfully, Jamie doesn't have it, but because he was so young when she died, he really doesn't remember much of her."

"That's so sad," said Blades, his optics filling with tears. Even his teammates had tears in their optics that they wiped away.

Rachel nodded. "Anyway, when Jamie first met you guys, he found a friend in all of you, but found the father figure he needed in you, Heatwave," she said.

The fire truck Bot still looked a bit confused and stood up a bit straighter. "Okay, I understand that Jamie sees me as a father figure, but that doesn't completely explain why he called me 'Dad'," he said.

"I can think of a few reasons," said Boulder. "What about the time Jamie was getting beat up by the bullies and you jumped in to save him?"

"Or the time he nearly drowned at the beach and you rescued him?" said Blades.

"You even went above and beyond to protect Jamie," said Chase.

Rachel looked up at Heatwave. "At first you didn't care for him, but then you proved that you would do anything for him," she said gently. "Do you understand now why Jamie looks up to you and why he called you 'Dad'?"

Heatwave looked at his teammates and Rachel and nodded. "You're right, all of you," he said. "I thought that was just because I was his guardian and it was my duty to protect him."

Rachel smiled. "Even a guardian can be a father figure, Heatwave," she said. "My uncle Joseph is the eldest of my uncles, who are my guardians, and he's a father figure for me. I even call him 'Dad' sometimes, because he reminds me so much of my adoptive dad, who raised me as best he could while he was sick and even when he was dying."

A few tears now left Rachel's eyes and she sniffled a little as she smiled. "Becoming a father figure for someone shows how much you care for them, especially when you treat them like your own child," she said and then looked at Heatwave. "I've seen the proud look on your face several times when Jamie's gotten a good grade on a test or helped his team win a game. You think of him like a son, don't you?"

The leader of the Rescue Bots smiled at her. "Yes, I do," he said honestly. "And I think it's high time Jamie knew that too."

* * *

The next day, Rachel came out of the school after staying for a bit longer and discussing an upcoming project with one of the teachers and was surprised to see Jamie sitting on the school steps. She checked the time and saw it was three o'clock, a half-hour later after school had ended. "Jamie?" she asked, sitting down beside him on the steps. "Why are you still here at school?"

The boy sighed. "Dad was supposed to pick me up, but he had to work late again," he said.

Rachel was concerned. "Want me to give you a ride home?" she asked.

"No, thanks," said Jamie. "Dad will come eventually."

Just then, they saw Heatwave pull up to the school in his fire-truck form. "Looks like he just did," said Rachel with a smile. "I'll see you later, Jamie."

He looked up. "That's Heatwave," he said.

"I know," she said, smiling again. "But I also know he wants to talk to you."

Wondering why his cousin was being so mysterious, he shrugged and got up, picking up his backpack and walking towards Heatwave, who opened the passenger door for him. "Hop aboard, kiddo," he said as Jamie climbed into the seat and buckled up. Rachel smiled as she watched them before getting into her car.

"Take good care of him, Heatwave," she said quietly as she headed off for her home. Her uncle Joseph was there and she hugged him and he returned the affectionate hug, smiling fondly as they headed inside the house to enjoy a fantastic dinner with Rachel's other two uncles, all four happy to be a family.

* * *

Meanwhile, Heatwave gave Jamie a ride back to the firehouse and the boy jumped out before the Autobot transformed. "Jamie, I wanted to talk to you about the other day," he said to the boy.

Jamie nodded. "I don't know what I was thinking when I said that," he said. "I'm really sorry, Heatwave, for calling you my 'Dad'."

"Why are you apologizing?" asked Heatwave, to the boy's surprise, making him look up at the Rescue Bot with wide eyes.

"Because I thought you'd be mad about it," he said.

Heatwave shook his head. "Jamie, I could never be mad at you," he said honestly. "I know your real dad is always too busy for you, but I'll never be too busy for you and I'm proud to be the father figure you need, because I think of you as my son."

Jamie couldn't stop the tears running down his face as he felt happiness and joy overtake him and he wrapped his arms around the Bot's neck. "Thank you," he said through his sobs. "Thank you so much. Thank you…Dad."

Feeling pride swell up inside him, Heatwave picked up the boy, cradling him in his huge, gentle arms, rocking him gently as he gently stroked Jamie's head with one hand. "I'll always be there for you, Jamie," he promised. "Always, my son."

It was a bit before Jamie stopped crying, but he still stayed in Heatwave's fatherly embrace, resting his head tiredly on the Bot's shoulder before falling asleep. Smiling, Heatwave went to his bunk and sat down, leaning against the wall as he closed his optics and fell asleep as well, still holding Jamie comfortingly.

* * *

Cody came down later to see why the Bots were being so quiet when Boulder gently shushed him and pointed to Heatwave's bunk where the boy and the other three Rescue Bots could see the cute sight of Heatwave and Jamie sound asleep with Heatwave holding him protectively. Smiling, Cody went upstairs to call Rachel and tell her where Jamie was and that he was okay while the rest of the Bots settled down for a peaceful rest.

Unaware of the others, Heatwave and Jamie slept on, the bond between them now stronger than ever before.

* * *

**I think I just died of cuteness overload.**

**Please leave a review, but no flames!**

**GoldGuardian2418**


End file.
